As Liz closed the door behind her, she nced up at the room number. Sure enough, the word “East” was printed in front of it.
She pressed her lips together and turned to leave.
Back inside the private room, Jeff watched as Zac, his face dark and unreadable, continued downing drink after drink. He couldn’t help speaking up.
“Zac, drinking that much will ruin your health. You should slow down.”
Zac gave him a cold nce and said nothing. The tension radiating from him made it clear to everyone in the room that his mood had taken a serious turn.
As he reached for the bottle again, a hand came down over his.
“Zac, you have an important meeting at eight tomorrow morning. You can’t keep drinking like this.”
Xena looked at him with her usual gentle smile, as if the awkward moment earlier had never happened.
Jeff narrowed his eyes, watching her closely. Now he understood how she had managed to stay by Zac’s side for three years. That kind of quiet endurance was rare.
Zac didn’t react. His voice was t. “Let go.”
}}
Xena didn’t flinch at the coldness in his tone. Instead, she spoke softly. <b>“</b><b>If </b>you insist on drinking, then I’ll drink with you. One ss for one. One bottle for one.”
She let go of his hand, picked up a freshly opened bottle of whiskey from the table, and tilted her head back, taking several gulps.
Within seconds, she began coughing uncontrobly.
She had never drunk anything this strong before. Just a few swallows sent her stomach into knots, and the whiskey spilled from the corner of her mouth down her chin and neck.
Even so, the moment she caught her breath, she reached for the bottle again.
Zac grabbed it from her and snapped, “That’s enough.”
“Give it to me. I want to drink.”
He mmed the bottle down on the table, then stood and pulled her roughly into his arms.
“I’m taking her home. You two finish up. Put everything on my tab.”
Without waiting for a response, he wrapped an arm around Xena and walked out.
Once the door closed behind them, only Jeff and Rick remained.
Jeff finally spoke. “I used to think Xena wasn’t worth paying attention to. But after tonight, I get it. Now I see how she managed to stay by Zac’s side for three years.”
It was hard to say whether getting involved with a woman like her would be Zac’s good luck or his downfall.
Rick picked up his ss and took a slow sip, saying nothing
+15 <b>BONUS </b>
Meanwhile, in another private <b>room</b>, Liz had just walked in when Jane pulled her down onto the couch beside her. “Finally, you’re here,” Jane said with a relieved sigh.
There were about seven or eight people in the room. Some were dancing, others were singing karaoke. A few of them were from Jane’s usual circle–people Liz had met once or twice before.
After greeting everyone, Liz turned to Jane. “So, what’s the asion? Why is everyone here tonight?”
“Suzy Quinn is heading overseas for school. We just wanted to get together before she leaves.”
“And you invited me? I barely know anyone here.”
“You’ve met most of them already. Besides, the more you hang out, the more familiar it’ll feel. Don’t overthink it.”
Liz looked down slightly and said softly, “I don’t really belong in this crowd anymore. I’m not part of the Smith family now.”
Jane rolled her eyes. “Come on. I don’t believe for a second that your parents are really done with you for good.”
Liz gave a bitter smile. “It doesn’t even matter anymore. When I agreed to cut ties with them, it wasn’t just because of Zac.”
Jane let out a long sigh. “Your parents seriously need help. They treat a fake like royalty and toss their real daughter aside like trash. I honestly don’t know what’s going on in their heads.”
The more she thought about how Liz had been treated after returning to the Smith family, the angrier she became. They had treated her barely better than a stray.
“Let’s not talk about it,” Liz said gently. “It’s all in the past now. No point getting upset over it.”